ancient history of medicine in india

7/27/2019 Ancient History of Medicine in India

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ANCIENTHISTORYOFMEDICINEININDIA

The origin of the Indian system of medicine goes back to several centuries of BCE.

With Aryan invasion of India about 1500 BCE, the Vedic period of the Indian system ofmedicine may have begun.

subcontinent are contained in the sacred books of unknown antiquity calledVedas. The Vedas are 4 in number Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, AtharvaVeda.

ey were an e own y eac ers o e pup s roug wor o mou roug outhe ages.

Atharva Veda for the most part consists of various charms and spells designed to wardoff the effects of diseases and the incursions of enemies.

Atharva Veda is the earliest document in India, in which allusions to medical sciencesare found.

They are of some what primitive character and largely permeated by magic and.

Over the centuries the Hindus greatly improved and supplemented the primitivebeliefs about medicine in the Atharva Veda and started to apply to the art ofhealing.

The body of literature that gradually grew up on the subject of medicine was calledAyur Veda.


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AYURVEDA(Thecompleteknowledgeforlonglife)

In Sanskrit Ayus means Longevity and Veda means Related

knowledge or Science.

Ayurvedic literature deals elaborately with measures of healthful living

during the entire span of life.

Ayurveda looks upon health in totality and defines the physical , emotional,

and intellectual well being of a person as Harmonious state. Serious

health issues negatively impacts all the realms.

Ayurveidic theory asserts that building a healthy metabolic system, attaining

good digestion and proper excretion leads to Vitality. It also focuses on

exercise, yoga and meditation.


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AYURVEDICMEDICINE

It is a system of traditional medicine, native to India and a form of

alternative medicine.

The earliest literature on Indian medical practice appeared during the

Vedic period, in the second millennium BCE.

The Susruta Samhita (Sushruta Samhita), and Charaka Samhita (Caraka

Samhita) are encyclopedias of medicine compiled from various sources

from the mid first millennium BCE to almost 500 CE

Early Ayurveda had a school of physicians and school of surgeons.

Hygienic living (regular bathing, cleaning of teeth and eyes, skin care, oil

massage etc) is a central practice in Ayurvedic medicine.


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InHinduMythology,theoriginofAyurvedic medicineisattributedtothephysician

ofthe

God

Dhanvatari.


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Hinduism and Buddhism had influence on development of many centralideas of Ayurveda.

Nagarjuna,

(the Philosopher)

illness. However emphasis is placed on moderation (eg: food intake, sleep, sexual

activities etc). Balance is known in Buddhism as Madhyamaka.


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CHARAKA SAMHITA AND SUSHRUTHA SAMHITA

Chaaraka Samhita or Compendium of Charaka is one of the oldest and mostimportant writings in Ayurveda. It could have been written by a single personCharaka or by a group of scholars or followers of Charaka.

The language of Charaka is Sanskrit and its style is poetry. It contains 8400 verses,.

edifice of Ayurveda and concentrates on Kaya Chikitsa (internal medicine).

Sushruta Samhita (Collection of Sushruta) presents the field of Ayurvedic surgery.

It is considered to be a redaction of oral material passed on from generation togeneration. The style is both prose and poetry, the latter being the greater portion,and this written in Sanskrit. Though primarily dedicated to surgery, thecompendium also includes medicine, pathology, anatomy, midwifery etc. Also

deals with medical ethics.

The exact periods of these compendiums are not known but believed to be several.


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Charaka introducedthefiveelements(Panchabhutas)whileseekingthe

complexand

its

relationship

with

Nature

as

the

stuff

of

existence.

The

five

elementsare:Earth(Prithvi),Water(Jala),Fire(Agni),Air(Vayu), Sky

Akash

Charaka statesthatanindividualisaunionoffiveelementsand

consciousnessissynonimus withself.

isessentialtocomprehendphenomenasuchasknowledge and

ignorance,pleasureandpain,lifeanddeath,andselfawareness.This

knowled eis e uall necessar tounderstandthe henomenarelatin to

diseasesand

their

management.

Everythingisderivedfromthefive elements inthefinalanalysis.


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THETHIRDGREATCLASSIC

ANDTHELESSERTHREECLASSICS.

VAGBHATA: ASHTANGAHRIDAYAM andASHTANGASANGRAHA(Around400CE)

HRIDAYAMiswritteninproseandSANGRAHAisprimarilypoetrywithprose.

Lesserclassics:

1. SHARNGADHARASAMHITA(15th centuryAD)

(AdigestedversionofAyurvedaknowledgeandispricedforitsenumerationand

descriptionof

pharmacological

formulations).

2.BHAVAPRAKSHA(16th CenturyAD)

(Acompactrepresentationofearlierclassicscomprisingof10,268verses,

genera y

ea ingwit

Kaya C i itsa .

3.MADHAVANIDHANAM(700AD)

o o yu v o y w y o o

diseasesbut

not

much

on

treatment.


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byAS

and

AH.

The

complex

ideas

in

Charaka are

simplified

and

expressed

inpoeticlanguageinAH.

ThecoreofAyurvedic doctrines,profilesofdiseasesandprocedures

remainedunchanged

over

centuries

whereas

changes,

which

did

occur,

M.S.Valiathan,onanalysisofAshtangahridayam .

s

a

me ca y

or ente

wor

w t

pr nc pa

emp as s

on

me c ne

(Kayachikitsa)andonlybriefreferencestosurgical,obstetricandsimilar

topics.


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THETHIRDGREATCLASSICS..contd

AHoweditsgreatappealoverearliertextstothebeautyofitsverses,its

masterlystyleofcondensation,logicalarrangementoftopics,clarityof

. , ,

Tibetanmany

centuries

ago

and

more

recently

into

European

languages.

csan o eso con uc cover ngnosean mou ur ngsneez ng ,

eating(seasonalfoodandinmoderation),honesty(talkingtruth),respect

forall

living

creatures

etc

are

covered

in

Vagbhata classics.

In

addition,

, , ,

foetal developmentandchildbirtharealsodescribed.

naccep a e

con uc s

are

a so

e n e .

erence

o

goo

con uc

confersontheindividuallonglife,goodhealth,prosperityandhighrepute.


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ASHTANGAHRIDAYAM,ThelegacyofVagbhata

(contd)

Morethan70chaptersarededicatedtodifferenttypesofdiseasesrangingfromglandularswellings,ulcers,tumors,piles,

hemmorhoids,eye

diseases,

vision

defects,

fractures

and

dislocations,andfromhiccupstoheartdiseasesetc.

Besides,infectiousdiseaseslikeleprosy,venerealdiseases,urinary

infections,diarrhoea,

as

well

as

insanity,

seizure,

epilepsy

etc

are

alsodescribed.

TheidentityandperiodofVagbhata arecontroversialbutmajority

ofthe

scholarly

community

believes

that

he

was

anative

of

Sindh

wholivedin6th century.HisclassicsfranklyacknowledgestheCharaka andSushruta Samhitas.


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Ayurveda wascalledThescienceof8components (Astanga):

Internalmedicine(Kaya cikitsa)

Pediatrics

Surgery

Eyeand

E&T

Psychiatry(Bhuta Vidya)

Toxicology

Preventionofdiseasesandrejuvenation(Rasaganas)


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Treatment

Ayurvedic medicines are given as powders, decoctions and pills depending on the

constitution, body type and other factors.

o system to prescr e a spec c me c ne to a spec c sease, even as a s ng e

medicine has a wide range of applicability in various disease conditions. Prescriptions

are made individuall and medicines are safe if authenticall re ared.

Both internal and external therapies are advocated. The aim is to restore the total

health of the patient and immunity. Ayurveda believes that the human body is akin

to nature and the treatment lies in altering a diseased body to match the natures

rhythm .

PANCHAKARMA forms a central part of the therapy. It is a detoxification or internal

cleansing process. Body toxins are eliminated through external orifices mouth,

, . , , ,

diet, routines and regimens.


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TakenfromMSvaliathan


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SAFTEYCONCERNS

toxic heavy metals.

According to a 1990 study on Ayurvedic medicines in India, 41% of the products

tested contained Arsenic and 64% Lead and Mercury.

Safety concerns have been raised about Ayurveda in two US studies because 20% of

Ayurvedic treatments contained toxic levels of heavy metals such as Lead, Mercury

and Arsenic.

stu y oun tox c eve s o eavy meta s n yurve c preparat ons ma e

in south Asia and sold in Boston area. A 2008 study of more than 230 products found

approx 20% supplies from Indians contained Mercury, Arsenic or Lead.

Due to these concerns the GOI has ruled that Ayurvedic products must specify their

metallic content on the product labels. Besides, the herbs could be toxic and reliable

information on herbal toxicity is scanty.


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SUSHRUTAANDSURGERY(PERIOD 440BCE 350AD)

SUSHRUTAS name stands out in articular amon st the distin uished names. He istitled as the Father of Surgery

Fashionin of an artificial ear lobe.

The famed surgeon in the home of a noble, to begin on an Otoplastic operation. The

patient drugged with wine, is steadied by relatives and friends.

He will use a section of flesh to be cut from patients cheek, to be attached to the

stump of the mutilated organ. Details of the procedure and surgical instruments are

found in Sushruta Samhita.

Why plastic surgery attained importance?


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SURGERYINAYURVEDA

Alcohol was used as narcotic for patients undergoing operations.

The advent of Islam introduced Opium as narcotic.

Bleeding was stopped by ligation of blood vessels, cauterization by heat,

application of different herbal medicines locally, that facilitate clotting.

Cataract surgery was known to Sushruta in the early centuries of the first

millennium.

Abbasid Caliphate. These Arabic works made their way in to Europe.

Joseph Constantine Carpue, who spent 20 years in India studying local plastic

surgery methods performed the first major surgery in the western world in 1815.


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SurgicalInstruments

used

by

Sushruta (

Yanthras and

Shastras)

ancient history of medicine in india

Documents